Shubman Gill's replacement picked for the IND vs SA 2nd Test
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Indian skipper Shubman Gill has been discharged from the hospital in Kolkata, but is unlikely to be available for the upcoming game at Guwahati. He is likely to be ruled out of the second Test and replaced by Devdutt Padikkal.
India won the first match against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, after the pitch did not rule in favour of the Indian batters. The Proteas won the match, and India was demoted in the ICC WTC Points table.
India suffered their biggest blow in not only losing the match but also with their skipper ruled out due to a freak injury. The skipper struggled with neck spasms and was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata late after the end of play on Day 2.
Shubman Gill gets a visit from the former BCCI President
Shubman Gill took the field after the Indian no. 3 Washington Sundar's long stay in the first innings for India came to an end with Simon Harmer's first wicket of the match on Day 2. This brought the Indian skipper on, who swept a loose delivery from Harmer off to the boundary on his third ball.
However, after hitting the boundary, Gill immediately clutched his neck and faced spasms. The physios rushed onto the ground to help him, and he was taken off the ground. The captain never returned to the field, despite batting woes for the Indian team.
He was hospitalized at the Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata when India played with just 10 batters and was bowled out for 93 runs in the fourth inning of play, thus losing the game by a 30-run margin.
As per PTI reports, former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, who is now the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), visited Shubman at the Woodlands Multispeciality shortly after the humiliating defeat for India.
Shubman Gill is likely to be assessed by the BCCI Physios before India reaches any decision
The PTI report further added that the team management is yet to make a final call on Shubman Gill's availability for the second Test at Guwahati. The Guwahati Test will be very crucial from India's point of view, as they intend to regain their top 3 spot in the WTC table and also avoid another clean sweep in a home series.
The Test is scheduled to be played on the 22nd of November, and the BCCI physios are supposed to conclude, as said by Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir. He further clarified that a decision can only be made after the physio assessment.
Not Sai Sudharsan, but Devdutt Padikkal is likely to replace Shubman Gill
Sai Sudharsan was handed many opportunities by the Indian team management at no. 3, yet he could not prove to be fruitful. Recently, during the India A series, Sudharsan failed to score a single half-century or look promising with the bat. Hence, he was dropped from India's playing XI and replaced by Washington Sundar at 3.
Devdutt Padikkal is now the player being considered over Sai Sudharsan to be drafted in as Shubman Gill's replacement. Padikkal played for India at no. 4 in the India A vs South Africa A series, though even the Karnataka batter has not had any fine outing for India, since his last first-class century against Australia A.
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team South Africa National Cricket Team India vs South Africa South Africa vs India Shubman Gill Gautam Gambhir Sourav Ganguly ICC World Test Championship
